Brick-cleaning machine



E. lL. MINOR.

B RICK CLEANING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. I8, |920. 1,397,227, 1111611191110 15,1921.

INVENTOR E L. Minor ATTORNEY I @Nlf STATE BRICK-CLEANING MACHINE.

Learner.

Specification of Letters atent.

Patented Nov. 15. 1921.

Application i'led December 18, 1920. SerialN'o. 431,742.

To all 'whom t may concern.'

Be it known that l, EDWARD L.` MINOR, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Birmingham, in the county of Jefferson and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brick-Cleaning Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a brick cleaning machine and contemplates the provision of a rotatable rack or frame carrying elements which, responsive to centrifugal force, move into position to travel in a path which will cause them to yieldingly engage tli'e surface of the brick orother article tobe cleaned while traveling at high speed so as to abrade and rapidly remove the cement and mortar adhering to the surface of the brick without fracturing or defacing the brick.

A furtherobject is to provide the rack with a series of loose or floating washers free to have substantial play and when cleaned by centrifugal action to project above the cleaning bed of the machine where they will engage the brick.

A further object is to utilize alternate flat and corrugated washers, the corrugated washers being so staggered about the rack as to cause them, in a complete rotation of the rack7 to engage the entire surface to be cleaned.

A further object is to provide the machine with an adjustable bed mounted to rock about the aXis of the rack and capable of being set at any desired angle for facilitating the work at hand.

A further object is to simplify the construction by adapting the washers on each rack shaft to project between the washers of the next adjacent rack shafts on each side thereof and thus forinthe spacer means so as to give the rack a practically continuous abrading surface when spinning at the proper speed.

My invention also comprises the novel details of construction and arrangements of parts, which in their preferred construction only are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a vertical sectional view through the machine with the parts in operating position.

Fig. 2 is a plan View of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. l.

`Figsft and 5 are detail end and side views i of a cross connection carrying alternating ,corrugated and ila-t washers.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

In the embodiment illustrated, the ma# chine comprises a center shaft l journaled in any suitable bearings 2 with one end overhung to receive a driving pulley 3 driven by any suitable means (not shown). The shaft carries fast thereon a rack formed by spaced disks el which are cross connected about their carry spacer sleeves or pipes 6 between the disks. Upon each pipe is assembled a series of hard metal washers 7 with central openings materially larger than the pipes so that they will move outwardly under centrifugal force from half to three quarters of an inch. rlhe pipes are close enough so that the peripheries of the washers on one pipe will project between the peripheries of the washers on the adjacent pipe on each side and serve as a spacing means for the washers thereon. The washers may be of case hardened steel either flat disks 7 or corrugated disks 7, or the washers may alternate gat and' corrugated along each pipe with ne corrugated washers relatively staggered around the rack so that in a complete rotation of the latter tlie corrugated washers will engage the entire surface of the article to be cleaned.

rlhe cleaning bed comprises a swinging top frame 8 having downwardly tapering sides 9which are journaled at an intermediate'point on the ends of the shafts l and which'have. their lower ends clamped by bolts l0 which engage in curved slots l1 in the bed sides so that the bed frame can be set at any desired angle. rlChe bed frame is provided with a central aperture @through which the top periphery of the spinning washers will project when expanded by centrifugal force.

In operation, the rack is driven at a high speed, the washers float outwardly and assume their maximum radius of travel, see Fig. 3, causing them to pass substantially above the top of the bed frame and the articles to be cleaned are then passed across the aperture l2 in the bed frame, thus bringing their under surfaces into Contact with the fast spinning yielding periphery of the washer covered. rack, with the result that peripheries by bolts 5 which the fast spinning floating washers will act with a most e'llicient abrading action on the cement or plaster on the bricks and will clean the latter rapidly and eifectively.

This invention is not intended to be restricted in scope to the specific embodiments shown, but contemplates such modifications as lcome within the spirit and scope of the claims.

Having thus described my invention7 what I claim as new and desire to secure by Let-` ters Patent, is y Y l. A rotatable rack havinga concentric series ofraxial supports with floating metallic dis rs mounted thereon, and a bed above which the'peripheries of the rotating disks will project to engage an article thereon to be cleaned.

2. A machine in accordance with claim l, in which the bed frame is adjustable about the aXis of the shaft.

3. A machine in accordance with claim l, in Which the disk bearing frame is formed by hard metal plates cross connected by bolts with spacer pipes on the bolts, and a series of loose washers on each pipe free to have substantial radial movement thereon responsive to centrifugal force.V

4. A machine in accordance with claim 3, in which the disks are formed by case hardened metal washers relativ-ely disposed so that the peripheries of the washers on one pipe will project between the washers on y adjacent pipe on each side thereof.

5. A machine in accordance with claim A,

in which the washers are of a. iat and cor- Y rugated typ-e. Y f

6. A machine in accordance with claim 5,V

EDWARD L. MINOR.

Witness Norm; WELSH. 

